Branson played host to the West Plains Zizzers and came away with a 1-0 win thanks to early execution.

Within 30 seconds of the first half, senior mid-fielder Patrick Hubbard kicked in the one and only goal of the game that would put the Pirates ahead of the Zizzers. Coach Dave Brenner had a simple goal in mind for his team in this opener.

“Our strategy for each game remains the same,” Brenner said. “We must control the ball and each possession down the field.  We rely on our attacking offensive approach, not letting our defensive get too overwhelmed in the backfield. We can’t sit back on our heels and expect to win.”

The Pirates executed this goal much better than the final score would indicate. Branson dominated possession and threatened to break it open several times as they hit the cross bar three additional times.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

As the second half started, so did the downpour, which resulted in a thirty minute game delay. Once the sky cleared, gameplay resumed on the drenched grass field.

“The rain did change a little of our tactics during the game, we pulled back a little and attacked with fewer people to try to control the tempo at mid-field. The goal is also to not get any one hurt after a storm session that we had,” Brenner said.

The Pirates battled out the rest of the game protecting their goal, as both team’s defense kept the game at a low score.

“West Plains is a very quality soccer program; they kept us on our feet. Winning this first game was a huge confidence boost for us entering the season,” Brenner said. “We have a great group of seniors who have high goals and key leadership. Everyone on the team wants to contribute and play their role that fits with this team. Whatever I ask them to do, they say ‘I’ll do just that Coach’.”

The Branson Pirates look to compete in their conference, expecting a .500 season for the first time in the program’s history.  

Branson takes the field next at 5 p.m. on Aug. 28 at home against Rogersville. The Zizzers play at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 28 at Camdenton.